Album Review | Busta Rhymes – Genesis

This album was released on November 21st in 2001. I really have nothing to say about this album before checking it out. I’m just hoping it’s on par with Anarchy. That’s most likely not the case though. Actually, the production credits are all really promising, so maybe this will be a really good album. I don’t know why I’m expecting it to be underwhelming. I’m just gonna try to go in with an open mind.

1. Intro featuring Clive Davis & Rudy Ray Mooreproduced by Nottz

This was a pretty unnecessary intro. I didn’t need to hear Dolemite hollering about how Busta Rhymes needs to “keep slappin’ dick in the mouths of these bitches.” The part with Clive Davis was kinda funny though. This is the first Busta Rhymes album to completely abandon the theme of the apocalypse. The beat in the background is pretty underwhelming. This was kind of an annoying way to start the album, but I’m not gonna pretend to have that much of a problem with it. There’s really no reason to discuss it.

2. Everybody Rise Again produced by Just Blaze

This is a sequel to the opening song from Extinction Level Event. The beat’s pretty good. The hook has Busta shouting out a bunch of different cities like he did on the original song. I just listened to the entire track. Both of the verses were really good. This is typical Busta Rhymes. It’s a pretty dope song. It’s not really different from anything he’s done in the past, but it’s a good song. I don’t have any problems with this track. It’s dope.

3. As I Come Back produced by The Neptunes

This beat is fucking awesome. The first verse from Busta was cool. I actually like the way the production gets more electronic influenced during the hook. Busta’s not really sayin’ anything that interesting on the verses, but his flow is cool. He’s good at matching the energy of the production. This is another really dope song. It was kind of annoying how he ended every other line by growling, but it’s not that big of a deal. I fuck with this track.

4. Shut ‘Em Down 2002 produced by Pete Rock

This track has another really good beat. The first verse is nice. The hook is fine. The second verse was really dope. The song’s just under three minutes long. There’s not really much to discuss. It has a really simplistic structure. It’s another dope song. I don’t have any problems with it. It doesn’t stand out that much from the rest of the material on this album, but it’s still pretty enjoyable. I fuck with this track.

5. Genesis produced by J Dilla

I’m not crazy about this sung hook. It sounds like it’s performed by a random 10 year old girl. This has to be the worst beat I’ve ever heard from J Dilla too. It’s super barebones. The first verse from Busta was cool I guess. It doesn’t make up for the lackluster musical aspects of this track though. The second verse was dope. I just feel like this should’ve been so much better, especially since it’s the title track. It’s a really underwhelming song though. It’s not even that bad. I just don’t think it’s good at all.

6. Betta Stay Up in Your House featuring Rah Diggaproduced by Yogi

The beat on this track is pretty cool, and I love the way Rah Digga and Busta Rhymes are tradin’ bars on the first verse. The hook is nothing special, but it works. They killed the second and third verses too. The song doesn’t really switch up at any point; all the verses follow the same formula. I kinda like the way they were rhyming together instead of taking turns though. It’s a cool track. I fuck with this song. It’s dope.

7. We Got What You Want produced by Just Blaze

The beat on this track is decent. Busta did his thing on the first verse, but I’m not feelin’ the female vocals on the hook. It’s not terrible, but I’d be lying if I said I enjoyed it. The second verse was cool I guess. This is an okay song, but I didn’t really enjoy it that much. The production was kinda strange, and I didn’t care for the hook. The three verses are all decent, but as a whole the song just didn’t do anything for me. I’m not really feelin’ it. It’s mediocre to me.

8. Truck Volume produced by Dr. Dre

The beat from Dr. Dre on this track is pretty dope. It doesn’t have Dre’s signature sound, but it’s still good. The first verse from Busta is pretty good, and I like the hook too. The second verse was nice too. This is another good song. Nothing about it really makes it stand out from the rest of the songs on this album, but it’s still an enjoyable track. It’s not one of my favorites so far, but I don’t have any problems with it. This track is dope to me.

9. Pass the Courvoisier featuring Puff Daddyproduced by Nottz

The beat on this track is actually pretty shitty to me to be honest. The first verse was tolerable. Diddy and Busta are kinda trading bars on this song. I hate listening to Diddy rap. He’s so bad. Busta Rhymes’ parts are pretty good though. This song definitely has the worst beat I’ve ever heard from Nottz. The verses on this track were decent, but I’m not feelin’ the hook. The production’s bad too. This shit is wack to me.

10. Break Ya Neck produced by Dr. Dre & Scott Storch

The beat on this track is thankfully really fuckin’ dope. It’s a major step up from the previous track. Busta’s flow on this track is awesome. It’s really fast paced. The first verse is great. The hook is fine. All of the verses are really good. I don’t really have any problems with this track. The production is great, the verses are all dope, and the hook isn’t bad. This is another dope song. I fuck with it.

11. Bounce (Let Me See Ya Throw It) produced by Mel-Man

The production on this song is dope af. The first verse was nice, and I actually really like the hook on this song as well. He killed the second verse. I don’t really have too much to say about this track. It’s got a really simplistic structure. There’s not much to discuss. It’s just two verses and a hook over a great beat. I don’t have any problems with this track. I think it’s pretty dope.

12. Holla produced by Dr. Dre

This beat is pretty dope. I could easily see old school Eminem over this beat. Busta killed the first verse. The hook’s pretty good. The second verse was really good too. Just like with the previous song, there’s not really anything for me to say about this track. I didn’t dislike anything about the song. Except… I gotta talk about that skit at the end of the song… What the motherfuck was that shit? That was so unnecessary… It’s just some woman talking about how she wants to “swallow you” and “lick your ass.” That shit made me really uncomfortable. The song itself is dope, but I really wish that skit wasn’t there.

13. Wife in Law featuring Jaheimproduced by Diamond D

This song has a pretty good beat. Busta’s goin’ in about his mistress. The first verse is really explicit.

Called me on the cell while the wife was runnin’ a bath
She can’t wait for me to fuck her, till I cum in her ass

I really don’t care for the content. I’m not crazy about the sung hook from Jaheim, but it’s tolerable. The second verse was decent I guess. It turns out that his wife was also cheating on him, so they’re even I guess. I don’t really like anything about this song. It’s not complete trash, but I didn’t enjoy it. The production’s pretty much the only aspect of it that I like. This is mediocre to me.

14. Ass on Your Shoulders featuring Kokaneproduced by DJ Battlecat

The production on this track is pretty cool. The hook from Kokane is alright. This is another really sexually explicit song. I’m not really feelin’ it. It’s more entertaining to me than the previous song, but I still just don’t really wanna hear about the shit Busta’s rapping about. The more I hear the hook from Kokane the less I like it. The beat’s kinda cool, but aside from that I’m not feelin’ this track. The skit at the end of this song is kinda funny. But yeah… This track isn’t for me. It’s decent though.

15. Make It Hurt produced by J Dilla

The beat on this track is cool. I like Busta’s flow on this track a lot. The hook’s nothing special, but it works. This is a good song. The verses are all dope, the production’s not bad, and the hook is tolerable. This definitely isn’t one of my favorite songs from the album, but it’s pretty good. It’s not that different from a lot of the other good songs on this album. It follows the same formula as a lot of the other tracks. It’s dope though. I fuck with this one.

16. What It Is featuring Kelisproduced by The Neptunes

I think this is the only song I’d heard from this album before starting this review. I’m not really into it to be honest. The verses from Busta Rhymes are fine, but the hook from Kelis is way too repetitive for me. I don’t think the beat is that good either. To me this is just an underwhelming song. I’d probably like it if the hook wasn’t so annoying & the beat was a little better. It’s not for me though. I don’t think it’s really a bad song. I just don’t think it’s good either. It’s average to me.

17. There’s Only One featuring Mary J. Bligeproduced by Michaelangelo

I really like the beat on this song. The first verse from Busta was cool. I’m not crazy about the hook from Mary J. Blige though. It’s not bad, but I can’t really say I enjoyed it. The second verse from Busta was pretty good. The bridge from Mary J. Blige was decent I guess. This is another okay song. I like it more than the previous song, but I just don’t really think I’m gonna wanna return to this. It’s not bad, but it’s just not really doing anything for me.

18. You Ain’t Fuckin’ wit Me produced by Michaelangelo

The beat on this track is fucking awesome. This is definitely the best beat on the album so far. The first verse is good. The hook isn’t bad. I just listened to the entire track. It’s another really good song. It follows the same formula that almost every other song on the album follows. I don’t really have much to say about it. Both of the verses are good, and I didn’t mind the hook. The production is great. This is a dope song. I fuck with it.

19. Match the Name with the Voice featuring Baby Sham, Rah Digga, Rampage & Spliff Starproduced by Just Blaze

This is the obligatory Flipmode posse track, which I always love. This one is really good. The first verse from Baby Sham was cool. Rah Digga killed it. Rampage’s verse was awesome. Spliff Star did his thing, but I could’ve done without the F bomb. Busta killed the final verse. It’s a good song. I could’ve done without the long ass skit at the end, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me laugh. At first I thought it was gonna be another sex skit, but instead of fucking the girl Busta Rhymes throws up on her and then falls asleep. It was actually pretty entertaining to be honest. Anyway, this song is dope. I fuck with it.

20. Bad Dreams produced by Nottz

The previous skit transitions into this track pretty well. Busta threw up, then fell asleep, and now he’s having bad dreams. Busta goes in about how he met the devil in his dream, and it’s actually pretty fuckin’ cool. The beat’s decent. I like the song’s simplistic structure. It’s just one long verse. This track’s pretty good. Again, the song has a really simplistic structure, so there’s not really much to discuss. I thought it was pretty cool how he was rapping as the devil with the pitch of his voice shifted down. It’s a dope song. I have no problems with it.

This is a good album. There aren’t really any songs that completely blew me away, but most of the material here is really solid. This project doesn’t really do anything different from the other albums in Busta’s discography, so you should know what to expect if you’ve heard any of his earlier projects. I didn’t really like the songs he did with R&B singers; I’d rather not hear songs like that from him. Most of the other tracks were pretty good though. I think this is a good album. It’s dope.

Published by OG Nick Marsh

I am not a music expert. My reviews are completely subjective and should not sway anyone’s opinion on any musical project. I don’t grade albums based on how “good” they are objectively. The score they receive depends on how much I enjoy them personally.
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